Japan

Who we are

Lighthouse: Center for Human Trafficking Victims is an NPO that works to eliminate the issue of human trafficking, especially sex trafficking, in Japan. We are committed to fighting for a society without human trafficking. Like a lighthouse that guides people who are lost in the dark to safe harbors, we hope to be the beacon of hope for survivors of human trafficking and to be their voice.

What we do

Based in Tokyo, Lighthouse aims to eliminate human trafficking in Japan by:

Educate and train law enforcement and government officials to recognize human trafficking survivors and investigate cases.

Organizeawareness campaigns and seminarsto help bring more attention to the issue of human trafficking and encourage change in society. More than 29,000 people have taken our seminars and they have been able to identify survivors and report to us.

To educate more youth about human trafficking and their legal rights, in February 2015, we published a manga, Blue Heart, based on the experiences of survivors who have reached out to us in the past. Thousands of parents, teachers, social workers, librarians, and government officials have asked for copies. Blue Heart has been translated into Chinese by the Rotary Club of Taipei North.

Lobbing the government to change legislation, as there are currently no laws against human trafficking in Japan. Our goal is to push for the establishment of a comprehensive anti-trafficking law in Japan by 2020.